Spontaneity
by javalicious
Summary: No one would dub Luke spontaneous. And no one would dub Lorelai well planned. So why is it Luke who kisses Lorelai in the middle of an argument, and not the other way ‘round?
1. Prologue

Spontaneity

**Pairing**: Luke & Lorelai

**Genre**: Romance

**Setting: **Nothing in particular. After Max, after Rachel, after Jess leaves (before he gets together with Rory.) Before Nicole, before Alex, no Sherry.

**Summary**: No one would dub Luke spontaneous. No one would dub Lorelai well planned. So why is it Luke who kisses Lorelai in the middle of an argument, and not the other way 'round?

**Note**: This story has not yet been edited by anyone other than me. I'm looking for a beta-reader right now. If you can beta read (experience would be good) give me a shout. 

**Opinion**: I'm not sure how good this will be yet. I've got a vague idea of where it will go, but plot suggestions are welcome.

**Disclaimer**: The usual. I don't own nothin' so don't sue.

Spontaneity

Prologue: Stars Hollow 

Stars Hollow is a closely nit town, where its hard to keep secrets. Not because everyone's out to get each other, but simply because no one sees the point in keeping something secret. So gossip spreads like wildfire, truth and rumor mix, and no one is worse off because of it.

And so you would think that in this town, anyone could read anyone else like a book. Personalities would be well known – another point that would make secrets hard to keep. And I suppose, on one level, that it's true. Point out a resident of Stars Hollow, and most town folk could talk for ten minutes and up on what they are like.

Or how the town thinks they are like.

Because we mustn't jump to conclusions, it's rare that the town will see the inner workings of a person. Someone who is light and bouncy on the outside may be dark and subtle on the inside, and very few people would know.

Anyone in Stars Hollow will tell you that Lorelai Gilmore is a spontaneous person. Not just due to the fact that she got pregnant at sixteen, abandoning her parents' rich, glamorous life. But her life in general is simply exciting and different each day. You never know what to expect of Lorelai.

Anyone in Stars Hollow will similarly tell you that Luke Danes is the least spontaneous person you'll ever meet. Not just due to that fact that his life consists of waking up at six every morning to open his diner, every first Tuesday of the month going to the bank. But his life in general is made up of patterns that he sticks to. You always know what to expect of Luke.

However, anyone in Stars Hollow may be wrong.

--

Our story begins with a simple ritual. Something that started one night, and never seemed to end. It just continued, week after week, and neither felt the need, or the spontaneity, to finish it.

Friday night dinners at her parents' house held Lorelai in a pattern she resented. Yet it was a pattern all the same, and when you have one pattern, you generally have others directly linked.

A particularly gruesome fight with her mother - perhaps because of the lack of Rory - lead Lorelai back to Stars Hollow early. Craving caffeine, and a good friend to rant on to, she stepped into Luke's Diner with a determined pace.

Luke himself was packaging up the last piece of cherry pie for Kirk, who promptly left. A slight nod of Luke's head towards Lorelai let her burst into speech, about the night and her mother and anything else that concerned her.

Luke cleared Kirk's table, and then proceeded to wipe down all of the tables, acknowledging Lorelai's constant rambling with the occasional grunt and 'uh-huh'. Although Luke said little, he said enough to definitely be part of the conversation, without dampening Lorelai's speed.

The coffee – which Lorelai had found and poured herself – started to dwindle long after Luke had officially closed the diner for the night. And after the last sip, they bid their goodnights, each making their way to their own beds.

A simple action – or night, in their case – can trigger a pattern easily.

The next Friday night, Lorelai found an excuse to visit Luke's Diner alone. Luke found nothing odd about her returning, and so she rambled on, he wiped the tables, and the night passed similarly to the other.

Two anomalies do not make a sequence. Two nights in a row is not yet a pattern. And so neither Luke nor Lorelai could acknowledge the addiction that came with a ritual bound by its existence.

However, three nights mean much more than two, even though that third night may seem accidental. Rory making a late night call to Dean, Lorelai slipping into the diner seconds before the sign turned to 'closed.' All too coincidental to be accidental, yet that was the way these things worked.

By the fourth night, Lorelai was hooked. Rory acknowledged the ritual with ease, as did Luke. And the spontaneity that Stars Hollow sees in Lorelai flourished in its small space within the pattern.

Some nights she would talk and talk and gulp coffee in between. Others she would try to prompt Luke into the conversation, with sly tactics and flirty jokes. And occasionally she would sit quietly, watching Luke between sips of her coffee, prolonging the night second by second.

And every night that Lorelai showed up; every night that Luke unlocked the door for one last customer; made it harder to end it. To stop the pattern that was becoming addictive for both, so addictive that neither cared for Stars Hollow folk to talk about it. And each signed a mental contract that bound them to those late Friday nights, a bond of silence.

If anyone in Stars Hollow knew that one night their little meet-up didn't happen, they would peg it on Lorelai. She was the spontaneous one. Perhaps she started to find it mundane, or boring. She probably took to something different late Friday nights, something new and spontaneous.

And as I said before, anyone in Stars Hollow may be wrong. Because it was Luke that didn't show up one night. And Lorelai who was disappointed that the pattern stopped.


	2. Jealousy

Spontaneity

**Pairing**: Luke & Lorelai

**Genre**: Romance

**Setting: **Nothing in particular. After Max, after Rachel, after Jess leaves (before he gets together with Rory.) Before Nicole, before Alex, no Sherry.

**Summary**: No one would dub Luke spontaneous. No one would dub Lorelai well planned. So why is it Luke who kisses Lorelai in the middle of an argument, and not the other way 'round?

**Note**: _(A)_ Still need a beta.

_(B)_ About the kiss. Well, I have to build up to it, sorry, but we'll get there, and it'll be great. (I hope.) XP And eventually I'll get in some good fluff.

_(C)_ I've got a vague idea of where it will go, but plot suggestions are welcome.

_(D)_ I don't know why, but I'm not very happy about this chapter. If you know what I think is wrong with it, tell me! I can't seem to figure it out!

**Disclaimer**: The usual. I don't own nothin' so don't sue.

Spontaneity

Chapter 1: Jealousy 

When looking for gossip, as many Stars Hollow folk do, you must find emotions that will amount to actions. Deep content will not provoke, and neither will mutual hatred, so such emotions are to be avoided when looking for subjects on which to talk.

I have said before that Stars Hollow folk are not out to get each other, and I will say it again. Many just live a mundane life, and feel they need a life through others. They want an interesting life, which means that they look for a something more than their average day. So they look for emotions that will lead to difference, and one of these emotions is jealousy.

While the residents of Stars Hollow may not know the truth about Lorelai's spontaneity, one thing they do know the truth about is her jealousy. It is hard to miss how Lorelai will cringe when talking about a potential Luke date, or how she 'tries' to be happy for him and his partner.

Stars Hollow has long given up on the inevitable recognition of her attraction to him, and has turned to other such means of their friendship. The occasional fight is welcomed – if coupled by a make-up, that is – but what is more are the confrontations of others in their lives. Max, Rachel, and every once in a while, Chris, bring more to the gossip of Luke and Lorelai than a fight ever did.

It is a shame that Luke never really has realized the jealousy in Lorelai that is obvious to the naked eye. Perhaps it is even more of a shame that Lorelai, too, has never realized it.

----------------

Rory was concerned for her mother. It was seven in the morning on Saturday, and Lorelai was up and running, convinced that they had to visit Luke's for breakfast. However, her concern did not make her any more frustrated with her mother's blunt attempts to leave so early.

Tired and annoyed, Rory resorted to whining; "But mom, _why_?"

"Ooooh," Lorelai turned on her small child voice – and attitude. "I want some _coffee_. Nothing says 'Have a nice day' like hot coffee!" She wagged a playful finger at Rory, who found nothing funny or playful about it.

She was logical, and determined to get back to bed. "But we have coffee here; lots of coffee. Remember that time you went crazy after watching Glitter and bought five packets?"

"But… But… It's all gone! … Now to Luke's!" Lorelai made a subtle movement towards the door, of which Rory countered with a movement to a cupboard, pulling out three unopened packets of coffee. "Oh, yeah, uh, well… I want _pie_. And you know Kirk gets there at the crack of dawn to steal all of the good pieces. Just this once I want the first piece cut. _Please_. I'll love you forever and ever."

Rory sat back down, looking slightly dejected. "I'm not dressed."

Lorelai looked at her daughter with mock amazement. "Really?" Rory lowered her head onto the table, and started to close her eyes. "We'll have none of that. Look." Lorelai moved quickly to Rory's room, shuffling through her closet unceremoniously.

"You know, Mom," Rory tried once more to convince Lorelai of a different path from her slightly uncomfortable position of laying her head on the table. "I hear the diner's open all day."

"Pink shirt or white shirt?"

"All _day_. So why don't we go there in the day."

"You're right. Definitely blue."

"You know, sunlight and all."

Lorelai walked back in with a jump in her step. "Right," she said, "Clothes ready."

Rory gave a long, hard, look of daggers to her mother, and stood to go back to her room, presumably to get changed out of her pajamas. But not before mentioning, "You are the bane of my existence" to Lorelai.

"Love you too, sweetie!"

--

An overzealous Lorelai and a grunting Rory walked into the bustling diner, taking a seat at the counter. A few glances around told them that the diner was full, and that Luke was nowhere to be seen. Rory rested her head on the counter table, slowly closing her eyes peacefully.

Lorelai patted her daughter's head kindly. "I'll wake you for the pie, hon."

Several seconds and frustrated taps on the counter later, Luke walked out for the back of the diner carrying two large plates of food over his head carefully. "Watch out. Coming through." He moved towards to opposite corner of the room to large group of people.

As he passed counter, Lorelai tried to say her hellos. "Hey Luke."

Luke replied distractedly. "Hey Lorelai." It was not the response Lorelai wanted. She waited grumpily until he returned to the counter, facing her with pen and pad ready. "Right. What'll you have?"

"Wow. Bad night last night?" Lorelai was less than subtle, yet Luke remained naïve of her hinting.

"Bad night? No. I'm great. Fine. Happy even." Although Luke sounded sarcastic, Lorelai saw a glint of a smile in his face as he turned around to face Caesar. "Aren't I happy, Caesar?"

"Two cheeseburgers, extra fries."

"Yeah, yeah. What's up with Rory?" Luke looked pointedly at the sleeping figure.

A nervous giggle escaped Lorelai's mouth, as she tried once again. "Oh, well, _she_ had late night last night. So, uh," She suddenly became mock serious, which only brought about a look of confusion from Luke. "What were _you_ doing last night?"

Luke turned his gaze to his pad. "Nothing. Are you going to order any time soon? I'm pretty busy." He then scanned the crowded diner quickly, making mental notes about seating arrangements and orders, as if to make his point.

"Oh, right, order. Uh, we'll have two pieces of cherry pie."

"Sorry, none left."

Lorelai looked incredulously at Luke, then around the diner, as if hoping to find the missing pieces of pie. "What?"

"No pie. Something else?"

"No pie? But, but, we got here early! Just for pie! We need our pie. _Really_ need it." Lorelai looked concernedly at her sleeping daughter. "Look! Rory has gone into a coma because I couldn't get her pie! We must have our pie!"

Turning around, Luke started to work at the counter with his back to Lorelai. "Sorry, no cherry pie. Come earlier next time."

"You're a … a … a bad person! You're killing Rory! You're –" Luke turned around with two mugs filled with coffee "- Oh! Ok then."

--

Sipping her coffee awkwardly slowly, Lorelai waiting until the diner occupants thinned out. Long ago Rory had arisen from her 'coma' and went to see Dean. Lane had come and gone, as had Kirk, apparently thrilled at the taste of the cherry pie.

Luke, however, continued to move around with plates of food, dishes, and checks. Every few minutes he would glance uncertainly at Lorelai, as if she would explode at any minute. Not that she looked it – in fact, you could say she looked peaceful with her piece of blueberry pie – but simply because Luke knew what was coming, and not sure how to counter it.

"So," Lorelai stated, after Luke finally settled down behind the counter. "How's, uh, stuff?"

"Stuff?" Luke looked at Lorelai for only a second, as she nodded enthusiastically. "Well, you know, there's an S, a T, sometimes a U, even a little bit of a double F. How 'bout you?"

Lorelai tilted her head back and forth, making a dramatic pause before continuing on to the more important issue. "Oh, yeah, well…" She took one final sip of her coffee. "Just wondering where you were last night. I was going by the diner and it was all closed."

"Yeah. You know, the darkness, lack of people, what you might call _night_. It's when I usually close the diner."

"Yes, but normally on Friday nights you… I mean, _we_ would, uh, kind of… Meet-up." As it was said out loud, the sentence – besides being grammatically incorrect and broken up – seemed pitiful. Almost as if late Friday nights were some sort of charade they put on for … dating.

It hurt that Luke didn't look up; that he simply moved to another table and started to collected dishes. "I had to go out."

Lorelai wriggled nervously in her seat at the counter "Yes. You did. And where did you have to go out _to_?"

Luke moved effortlessly back to the counter carrying three dishes on one hand and a sponge in the other. "None of your business."

"Oh, come on Luke. We're friends! Did you go to bank?"

"No." He replied gruffly, moving to a table further away from where Lorelai was situated.

"No, right, of course not. You only go to the bank on Tuesdays… Right, right…" Luckily there was a small amount of chatter coming from three women sitting in the corner of the diner, because otherwise the silence settling in on Luke and Lorelai would have been awkward and suffocating.

Sipping her coffee several times, Lorelai stared determinedly at her mug, until Luke came by with an unsettling closeness. Looking up, she felt small and powerless, wondering what he was doing and what he was thinking.

But before even a sound could escape her mouth, Luke reached down in front of her, taking the plate of pie crumbs out from between the coffee mug and herself. As he turned to move toward the kitchen, an unfortunately loud sigh flew from Lorelai's lips into the air.

Luke turned to Lorelai – not with his body, but simply his face – and stared at her for only a beat, before continuing to the kitchen. Lorelai's second sigh was softer, and kept to herself, but held just as much meaning.

--

"Mom, no!" Rory tried to walk away from the desperate Lorelai, but failed as a strong hand pulled her back.

"But he'll tell you! Go in there, ask him where he was Friday night, and leave. Please, Rory, just do this!" Rory stood her ground. Lorelai tried to lighten it up. "Hey, and get me some cherry pie, will you?" She grinned, but Rory didn't respond. "Uh, Rory?"

Rory sighed, and changed her stance and her face. Lorelai recognized the expression as one of logic. "You know why he won't tell you?" Rory let the question sink in for a beat before continuing. "Because he knows you'll take it badly. –"

"- Will not -"

"- You've just proven you will by this whole ordeal! He was probably doing something social –"

"- Like what? Luke is not a social person –"

"- Like going out on a date! And if he told you, you would go nuts and be jealous and probably ruin anything he's got going for him!"

"Don't go into the jealous thing again! Why does everyone in this town have to be like that!" Lorelai huffed sullenly, staring at the pavement outside of Luke's diner for several long beats. Rory, caught between not wanting her mother to be unhappy, and lying to her, sighed a sigh of retreat, leaving Lorelai open to the floor.

And like a child who was finally being sincere, she continued. "I don't want to ruin anything for him."

As often was the case in the Gilmore household, positions were switched as Rory took the mother stance. "I know you don't. And if you just leave it alone, you won't."

The mother-daughter team, though it was never certain just who was who, walked through Stars Hollow silently. Lorelai continued to stare at the ground, provoking an amount of concern from Rory. "Maybe he wasn't on a date."

"Yeah," said Lorelai to the pavement. "Maybe."


	3. Stubbornness

Spontaneity

**Pairing**: Luke & Lorelai

**Genre**: Romance

**Setting: **Nothing in particular. After Max, after Rachel, after Jess leaves (before he gets together with Rory.) Before Nicole, before Alex, no Sherry.

**Summary**: No one would dub Luke spontaneous. No one would dub Lorelai well planned. So why is it Luke who kisses Lorelai in the middle of an argument, and not the other way 'round?

**Note**: _(A)_ This chapter was extremely longer than expected because I had a scene I planned on, but didn't even end up writing. I changed it a hundred times over. Oh well.

_(B)_ I've got a vague idea of where it will go, but plot suggestions are welcomed.

**Disclaimer**: The usual. I don't own nothin' so don't sue.

Spontaneity

Chapter 2: Stubbornness 

There seems to be a generalization that being stubborn is a bad trait. The inability to change seems to be somewhat of a negative attitude. In some sense, I suppose it's true. On the larger scale, the world is constantly changing, and the only way to coexist is to change with it. However, on some levels stubbornness is not so much of a sin.

If Stars Hollow folk had not been so stubborn about changing the ways of the small town, then the tight, connected towns folk would never have known each other. Neighbors would be ignorant, and the overworked grapevine would probably not exist. Stubbornness has meant a lot to Stars Hollow.

It is not just as a town – and of that, the town council – that is stubborn, but the towns folk as individual characters. As generalizing as it may be, most characters of Stars Hollow have an odd inability to accept change on large – and sometimes small – accounts.

Change, however is not the only aspect of stubbornness. Lorelai, for example, is stubborn in two senses. One in the sense that she is too proud to back down – stubborn to prove that she is right. But then there is that stubbornness that resides in her playful attitude. That inability to stop a joke or a tease as it gets more and more out of hand.

Luke's stubbornness, on the other hand, _is_ all about change, or lack thereof. His life seems to be set in these patterns that no one can break, sometimes not even himself. He is stubborn to not respond to Lorelai's longwinded tease or flirt. And as she is stubborn to not stop it, they have this continuum together that never ends.

-------------

"Okay, rewind it." Lorelai stared pointedly at the television as if it were the last thing she would ever see. And for a late Sunday morning, the prospect wasn't all that bad.

"Again?" Rory looked at her mother incredulously. "Mom, we've watched it twice now."

"And yet I have this little voice in my head saying 'Watch it again, Lorelai, watch it again.' You know how I get with little voices." Her gaze didn't waiver; she had been stubborn a long time.

Rory stood, stretching her legs with her arms high above her head. "Coffee?" The lack of response meant nothing, she was already in the kitchen. "Coffee… Coffee… Coffee…" Cupboards were opened and closed, the sound echoing throughout the motionless house. "Coffee plunger?" She glanced at her mother – her eyes hadn't moved – and returned to looking. "Hmmm… Nope. No coffee. Luke's?"

Suddenly, Lorelai detached herself from the television. "No!"

Rory grinned mischievously, "Aha," she said knowingly, "Aha, aha, aha." She received a death stare from her mother. "Houston, we have found the problem. Don't want to go to Luke's, Mom?" Her voice was high-pitched, false, and worst of all, truthful. "Dare I ask '_why_'?"

Turning away from her daughter, Lorelai returned to staring at the television screen blankly. "Okay, rewind it." She clawed blindly around the couch for the remote control.

Rory knew her mother was being stubborn, but she also knew that if anyone could break the stubbornness, she could. She found the remote control, holding it hostage. "Is this about that mystery date of his?"

Finally Lorelai turned to face her daughter. "No, this is about my obsession with 'Return of the Titans.' Can we just drop this?"

"It's 'Remember the Titans."

Lorelai returned to staring at the television, although her expression was slightly guilty. "Whatever. Rewind it, please."

Rory knew that one of the few emotions that could sneak up on Lorelai's stubbornness was curiosity. "We don't even know if he was on a date."

"That's right. And we are not the ones to find out."

Stubbornness ran in both women's blood. "I've never heard you not wanting to butt into Luke's life. Are you feeling alright?"

Lorelai frowned. "What? The first time I'm being civil, and you criticize me?" Finally her gaze began wander, her stubbornness starting to fail. The television might only be the first thing she saw that morning.

Inwardly, Rory smirked. "Well, why don't we just go over there? Ask him. Can't hurt, can it?"

Both thought for a moment that it could hurt, though who would be hurt neither was sure. But the idea was out there, and for the moment it seemed that daughter had outrun her tutor: her mother.

It hung, for a beat, in the atmosphere, each with their own thoughts about stubbornness. Rory about her mother; Lorelai about Luke. Her mother would never go. Luke would never tell.

Never say never.

--

The jeep pulled up in front of Luke's Diner, and both Gilmore girls jumped out. Only one headed towards the door.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

Rory turned towards her mother innocently. "Well, I told Lane that I'd meet her after her nine o'clock bible readings." She turned quickly before her mother could reach out with her death grasp. "Have fun!"

"You're abandoning your only mother!" The words rang out a little too late, so Lorelai turned, opened the door to the diner, and resided to her fate.

Most tables were full, so Lorelai reluctantly sat down at the counter, watching Luke pour an old man coffee intently. He moved to another table, pouring more coffee, making a point of not returning Lorelai's gaze.

Eventually, however, he made his own way to the counter. "Coffee, please."

"You know, there are five scientifically proven lifestyle habits that will ensure you to have a heart attack before you're fifty."

Lorelai grinned; perhaps things were back to normal. "Oh, I know! Is one of them surliness?" Luke sighed, turning to get his number one customer a mug, pouring coffee into it as he went.

"I thought you and Rory were having a movie morning."

The smell of fresh, hot coffee filled Lorelai's nostrils obsessively. "Oh, we were."

Luke's reply wasn't audible as he moved to another part of the counter, picking up dishing and wiping down countertops. Once again he avoided Lorelai's gaze; he was stubborn like that.

The steady diner noises held off the awkward silences as Lorelai got her thoughts together. She had been pushed all too suddenly into the situation – she wasn't prepared. Thoughts bustled around her mind uncontrollably, settling only as she made a decision.

"I know it's not really any of my business," Luke scoffed at this, it was never a good start to a conversation, "but we are friends. So, uh, I'll only ask you once, and you don't really have to answer, though, uh, an answer would be nice." Lorelai paused, and made to take a sip of her coffee, but thought better of it halfway through. "Where were you, Friday night, when I usually meet you here?"

Luke had been thinking about the inevitable question last night, when Lorelai had failed to turn up for dinner, like she usually did. Lying, avoiding, and being truthful were the options, and he had decided last night. He would not back out, he was stubborn in that different way. "I was on a date."

Lorelai slouched more obviously than planned. "Oh," she hadn't thought he would answer, and if he had, she had not suspected the truth. She had trouble putting words together. "Well, uh, did it go… good?"

"Yeah, it went okay." The words were directed at the toaster he was wiping down, but Lorelai heard them just fine. Had Luke been watching, he would have seen the disappointed look cross Lorelai's face, before she buried it into the large coffee mug. But he hadn't, and so he didn't.

Again Lorelai thanked the people sitting in the diner for being so noisy. Perhaps if they had been silent, she wouldn't have been so bold. "Did you sleep with her?"

Luke turned. "Lorelai!" His brows furrowed in such a way that Lorelai felt a need to explain the question – even though it had no truthful explanation.

"What?" She looked him in the eye. "You were out pretty late, it was a Friday night, you were alone - at least, I assume you were alone – it's not completely unreasonable that you would…" The words trailed off, Lorelai went back to studying her coffee, and Luke's brows furrowed further.

"Did you sleep with Rory's dad when he came here last?"

Lorelai looked up. "Luke!"

"What?" He looked her in the eye, mocking her. "You were in the same house, for several days, you must have been alone once or twice. It's not completely unreasonable to assume that you would…"

Pulling her handbag up to counter, she shuffled around its contents for her wallet. "I have to get to… the Inn." She lied blatantly, pulling out several one-dollar notes.

"You don't work on Sundays." He picked up the notes nonchalantly.

"I… I know," she pushed the wallet back into the handbag, "But, uh, Mia asked me if I could just check in, because, uh, we have a new girl." Luke stared at Lorelai for a moment, this time Lorelai being avoidant; both knew she was lying.

"Okay."

Lorelai walked out the diner without half the dignity she wanted. Luke watched her leave, a hint of amusement at the excuses, but moreover a frown at the events of the past few days. They were not what he was expecting.

--

The Inn lobby was deserted; Lorelai _hadn't_ needed to go in, but she felt she had nowhere else to go. She wondered briefly if Katrina – the Sunday chef – would make her some coffee. The mug at Luke's was still half full.

The thought, however, was not needed, as when Lorelai walked into the kitchen, Katrina was nowhere to be seen. "Sookie?"

"Lorel – Oh! Ow, ow, ow, oh…" A small sizzling sound could be heard as Sookie rushed over the sink. "It's okay, I'm okay." She held up her sleeve, as if proving she was all right. "Just a singed sleeve." The sleeve held many black spots, making a dark ring around the end of it – it had obviously been singed before. Sookie moved back to large pot she had been at, before Lorelai had startled her, and returned to stirring. "What are you doing here?"

Lorelai perched lightly upon a tall stool next to the refrigerator. "I was about to ask you the same thing. Where's Katrina?"

"Oh," Sookie shook her head, amused at the thought, "She called me up – apparently you weren't answering your phone like you said you would –" Lorelai thought guiltily about the phone on the door side table, the one she had left to go to Luke's. "- And told me that she had to go home, because her brother got into a car accident – nothing broken, apparently he's just in shock – and that no one was here accept for an old couple who just wants chicken soup every few minutes."

Lorelai found herself becoming comfortable on the stool, listening to her friend ramble on about Jackson's vegetable meeting and the old couple's chicken soup cravings. She felt oddly relaxed, her mind leaving thoughts of Rory, and Luke, and coffee, and mystery dates.

Somewhere deep into Sookie's ramblings – about thirty minutes, three refills of the old couple's soup bowls, or one and half cups of coffee later – Sookie started to question Lorelai. "You never told me why you're here. Weren't you and Rory having a movie morning?"

"Oh, we were." However, the answer did not satisfy Sookie, as it had done Luke, and she was questioned further.

"So what happened?" Silence crept in on the two women, as Lorelai contemplated answering and questioning at the same time.

"Sookie," She started, in a serious sort of voice that one rarely finds in Lorelai, and generally makes people stop and listen and not interrupt.

However, she _was_ interrupted. "Wait!" Sookie washed and wiped her hands, turning her full attention to Lorelai. "Okay, go."

Lorelai sighed, but continued. "Do you think that I'm ever jealous of … people that Luke sees?"

Her face screwed up in slight concentration, Sookie contemplated only for a moment. "As in, the people who come into the diner?" To her, it didn't make any sense, no matter how close she was to Lorelai. No matter how much trust she put on Lorelai's naivety of Luke.

"No," said Lorelai softly, she didn't really want to discuss it, but if she couldn't discuss it with Sookie, it was unlikely she could discuss it at all. "No, as in girls. Uh, women."

Once again, Sookie's face screwed up in concentration. This time she contemplated for several beats. "I'm not sure if I should be the comforting friend here, or the honest friend." She looked to Lorelai for help.

Lorelai herself looked slightly pained. "Can't you be both?"

"Sorry hon."

"Well," Lorelai looked down at the mug of coffee in her hands, she briefly thought that she been staring at coffee mugs quite a bit lately. "Be honest first, then if I'm in real trouble, we can switch to comforting later."

"Okay. Everyone knows that Luke has a thing for you, and, if we're being honest, that you have a thing for Luke –"

"Whoa. Not that honest."

"- Fine. You are. You always are." Sookie looked at the growingly painful look plastered across Lorelai's face. "If it's any consolation, he's jealous of guys you date as well." It didn't seem to be, so Sookie continued to contemplate. "More coffee, hon?"

"Yeah. Yeah, sure." Sookie poured coffee, and then continued to ramble. Lorelai started to return to her relaxed state. The coffee felt warm in her hands and smelt nice in her nose and she appreciated just how good of a friend Sookie was.

The rambling – of which Lorelai was only paying slight attention to – stopped. "I've got it!"

Lorelai broke out of her relaxing daze unhappily. "Got what?"

"Well you see," Sookie moved to a chopping board, bringing out a knife and waving it around haphazardly before starting to cut up carrots. "Maybe you're not jealous, but _protective_." Lorelai raised a quizzical eyebrow as her friend shook her head, narrowly missing chopping off her finger. "You know, you told him to get back together with Rachel, right? And then Rachel left him. So, you don't want to support this new girl because you're afraid it might hurt him!"

"Sookie – watch the fingers, hon – are you just saying that so you can be the comforting _and_ honest friend?" Lorelai moved her hands around the coffee mug nervously. Sookie didn't look up from her chopping, though Lorelai knew it was nothing offensive – had she looked up, blood could've been spilt.

Sookie grinned. "Well, kind of, but I _am_ being honest." The carrots went straight into the large pot that seemed to be on the stove perpetually. No fingers went flying, and Lorelai found it oddly comforting.

--

The door bell echoed loudly throughout the empty diner. Lorelai let go of the door, shutting out the cold of the night. She grinned, goofily, "I'm not too late, am I?"

Luke – mid swipe of a tabletop – made an awkward glance to the sign that proclaimed the diner 'open;' hiding the movement - and the disapproving look that went with it - by turning the swipe into a large circle. "Nope." He couldn't refuse her, even if technicality were to be on his side.

"Oh good," Her faced mocked extreme relief, "'Cause I haven't had coffee since I left this morning, and let me tell you, coffee-less Lorelai is not a pretty sight, especially to old ladies wanting chicken soup." The mention of the morning was a subtle and well-planned move of Lorelai's. She plunked down at the counter heavily – this time by choice.

Coffee followed the brief exchange of words, yet this time there were no diner sounds to hide the uncomfortable silence. Lorelai sipped her coffee; Luke wiped the tables, and somewhere along the line the tension in the room decreased to a point where Lorelai was able to try making up.

"Look, I'm sorry about this morning. It wasn't my business." She tried to make eye contact, but Luke remained emotionless and avoidant.

"You're right. It wasn't." He continued to wipe down the tabletops; Lorelai thinking about the possibilities of wearing holes in the tables, as Luke seemed to be wiping table- and countertops all of the time.

"Well, okay then. It wasn't my business. I mean," Lorelai used her head to gesture to the words – her hands were wrapped tightly around the cup of coffee. "It's not as if you never met Chris, or Max. But, you know, I didn't introduce you to all of my dates, so, I guess, it's, er, it's all good."

She looked guiltily at the hot coffee. For a second – and only for a second – she resented the coffee, as it was there, and she needed to resent something. But the second passed and coffee saved her as she drank long and deep from it, feeling the warm liquid wash down her throat. She loved the feeling she got from the energy just pouring out into every part of her body, and for a moment got lost in it, forgetting Luke.

Luke watched the guttural process. Lorelai loved her coffee, of that everyone was sure, but only Luke could identify when she was drinking coffee for the sake of drinking coffee, and when she drank coffee because it made all of her limbs tingle with an odd sort of pleasure. When she looked as if an orgasmic moan should follow the drink, as sometimes a mock one did.

Both held their fantasies to themselves.

Luke coughed; he had awoken. Lorelai followed suit. She sat, for a moment, thinking about coffee, and how Luke was the one who always held it. "Can I ask her name?"

"I guess."

Her hands rubbed around the warm mug. "Well, uh, what's her name?" She didn't like the direction in which the conversation was going, but she couldn't back down then. It was too late, and she was too stubborn.

Luke tried to remain emotionless. It was something he had mastered over the years, but with Lorelai it was always especially hard. "Melissa." A frown tugged at his lips. He turned his head, so that it wouldn't be shown to Lorelai.

She saw him turn his head. He always did that when he was nervous, just as she rubbed her hands around whatever she was holding. She looked guiltily at her hands, moving quickly and quietly around the mug yet stayed quiet. The hand loosened.

"You know," He said quietly, the frown slowly making way for an emotionless expression. "You don't have to pretend to not want to know anything about her." Moving to another table, he signified that he was more relaxed. "You're pretty bad at it."

Lorelai didn't sip from her mug. "I know," she moved the mug away from her slightly, as if making an unconscious point. "But I shouldn't ask; I shouldn't even want to ask." The mug rested several inches in front of her, as stubbornness held it there.

Luke held on with his own sort of stubbornness. A type that resided in actions; wiping down tabletops was never high on his to-do list, yet it kept him quiet.

Perhaps it was stubbornness that didn't let either of them speak for several minutes. Perhaps it was a grim game, or a silent bet. Whatever it was, neither spoke until Lorelai found an excuse to leave, Luke an excuse to agree.

The silence never did really end, even as both left the diner. Stubborn held onto the silence with a death grip that could rival Lorelai's, and the silence hung with Luke and Lorelai for the rest of the night.

--

_A/N I mentioned before that I need plot suggestions, right? Well, here're some questions for you: Do we want Melissa to come into the diner? Do we want Luke to be happy about their relationship? What does Melissa look like? (That last one is important for the little bit of plot that I have left.)_


	4. Subtext

Spontaneity

**Pairing**: Luke & Lorelai

**Genre**: Romance

**Setting: **Nothing in particular. After Max, after Rachel. Before Nicole, before Alex, no Sherry.

**Summary**: No one would dub Luke spontaneous. No one would dub Lorelai well planned. So why is it Luke who kisses Lorelai in the middle of an argument, and not the other way 'round?

**Note**: _(A)_ Wow, I really like the beginning of this chapter, the 'subtext' part. Love it.

_(B)_ I've got a vague idea of where it will go, but plot suggestions are welcomed, and I thank everyone who gave me some help with Melissa, I used some of your ideas. (But you have to read the chapter to find out which ones I did…)

_(C)_ I just realized that I had intended on bringing Jess into this story, and probably Chris, but that it didn't end up happening. Hmmm… If you wanna read a fic with Jess n Chris, check out my 'Not Prince Charming' XP

_(D)_ I really love writing Sookie. She's so fun.

**Disclaimer**: The usual. I don't own nothin' so don't sue.

Spontaneity

_Chapter 3: Subtext_

One theme of post-modernism is the idea that all things have an underlying meaning. 'Everything is not what it seems,' rings true in its philosophy and, subsequencely, its architecture and art. Layers of meaning, sometimes referred to as 'truths,' were a standard feature of post-modernism. Stars Hollow and post-modernism may have something in common.

When Kirk says 'I don't want cherry pie,' he doesn't just mean he doesn't want cherry pie. It means he wants some other sort of food item, or perhaps beverage, but he won't say it out-right. When Miss Patty comments that a new man in town 'isn't all that bad looking,' she means that he's got a six pack and isn't afraid to use it. Many people refer to is as subtext.

Stars Hollow folk are only average people, of average intelligence. Most don't realize that they look for subtext, or that when they speak they hope others will catch their own subtext. But whether or not they act out of conscious or subconscious, they act all the same. And so a resident of Stars Hollow can go a day without saying what they mean, and that same day with everyone understanding.

But the problem occurs when the layers of truth are more or less than two. A general simpleton will hold two truths: what they say, and what they mean. It is when what they mean varies to interpretation, or when someone tricky comes along and says exactly what they mean, that trouble can occur.

When Lorelai says 'You look good' to Luke, what exactly does she mean? When Luke says 'I missed you' to Lorelai, what exactly does _he_ mean? And when Lorelai flirts with Luke, and Luke flirts back, is it possible that it holds no more truth than that they want to be with each other?

---------------

Still in her Chilton uniform, Rory walked into the Independence Inn kitchen without the normal swagger in her step. She had considered briefly coming bearing gifts – food, beverages, and the sorts – but Sookie was the chef. Sookie was frying something delicious as Rory walked in.

"Hey, sweetie. How's Chilton?"

"Well," Said Rory half-heartily, "I'm not dead yet." She sat on the same stool her mother had two days ago, and Sookie recognized the strong resemblances in character. Rory dropped her bag heavily to the ground. "Where's Mom?"

Sookie added chives to the frying pan, engrossed in the cooking. She waved her hand at some area of the kitchen, undeterminable to Rory or herself. "Coffee machine broke." Rory muttered a sound of understanding, before continuing onto the reason of her visit.

"You know," she said, "Mom's been acting a little weird lately, don't you think?"

Unfortunately, Sookie couldn't respond. While added chives, Rory had spoken, which had upset the exact amount of chives needed. Sookie had, of course, saved the meal by quickly extracting the herbs with a well-placed finger. However, by saving the meal, she had burned the tip of several fingers, and had rushed over to the tap, soft yelps barely being heard above the sizzling meal.

"Uh, Sookie?"

The chef looked up from the sink, "Oh, I'm fine. Don't worry, I'm fine." Her fingertips were bright red as she moved back to the frying pan. "Lorelai? No, I don't think so."

"I think," Rory persisted, "That is has something to do with Luke. I mean, first she didn't want to go to the diner, and now she's acting a bit sullen."

Sookie giggled, "Luke?" She picked up an abandoned wooden spoon, "Lorelai?" and started to stir in the chives. "They've got it in for each other. I mean, it's years now that they've been friends, and they're completely naïve about each other!" She continued to giggle.

Sometimes, Rory thought, Sookie can be frustrating. "I know," She explained calmly, "But I think something's happening between them." Sookie didn't respond. "Did you know that Luke went out on a date last Friday night?"

Sookie practically jumped at the questioned, luckily not scalding any more body parts. "Wow! Luke is getting out and around. That's great!" The depressing look on Rory's face threw Sookie off a little. "Uh, not so good? … Look, Hon, I know you want your mom to be happy, but Luke's been waiting a long time, he deserves a break, don't you think?"

She sat, for a moment, on the stool, thinking it out.

Rory didn't entirely believe that she was just looking out for her own mother. Something bad always seemed to happen to Luke when other women were involved. Whether not 'other women' included Lorelai was unsure of.

--

Luke's Diner was full. It was a common occasion for Lorelai to curse a full diner – seats taken by people other than Stars Hollow folk. She glanced nervously at another woman she didn't recognize. The woman was pretty, with long brown hair tied back in a braid. But then there was the pretty woman sitting in the back, with black hair in pigtails. And the woman who had amazingly blue eyes, but not a particularly pretty face. She sighed, exasperated.

Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, there was a spare stool at the counter. Luke was nowhere to be seen, but he always moved back to the counter eventually. Lorelai sat still, biding her time.

Finally Luke emerged from the door at the back of the diner. Over his head was a plate of fries, and behind him was a slightly timid looking Asian woman, of black hair and dark, dark eyes. Two words seemed to echo loudly in Lorelai's head, from somewhere deep in her unconscious. They held much more knowledge than their face.

_That's her._

Despite her bowed head, which added to her timid look, it was obvious she was happy. A smile played across her lips, which could not be hidden by the black hair falling all over her face. _Someone needs to get this girl a hair tie_, thought Lorelai viscously. A hair tie, however, would have let more of her features been shown. Lorelai thought briefly if it had been done on purpose.

After Luke had delivered the fries to a table, he walked back to behind the counter, eyeing Lorelai suspiciously. The Asian girl of question didn't follow, but instead sat down at the same table as the fries.

As soon as Luke resided in front of Lorelai, she spoke. "Coffee please." Her hands were outstretched, which was not looked kindly upon from Luke. However, despite Lorelai's surprise, he got her coffee. Quickly.

She looked at the cup in her hands. "Uh…" Her eyes darted from the coffee to Luke. Then from Luke back to coffee. "That's it?" She said incredulously. "No lecture? No surly comment?" Her mouth lay slightly agape. She looked from the coffee to Luke, and back again.

"I'm in a good mood."

From the outside you probably wouldn't notice Luke was in a good mood. He was still frowning, like always; he still had a slightly aggressive stance, like always; even his words were said with spite, like always. Lorelai looked slightly confused, but then, as she accepted it, more and more angry.

"Ah," she said knowingly, which was, in fact, the opposite of how she felt. "Asian girl givin' ya some?"

"Asian girl?" Luke looked at her as if she were crazy. She considered the possibility.

Lorelai sputtered, "Uh… You know…" She looked around the diner, but suddenly was unable to point out the Asian woman. "That… That girl. Who went into the back with you? Uh…"

Luke turned so his back was to Lorelai. "Anita?" He questioned, in a deadpan voice. "You mean the girl who comes here every Wednesday, waiting for some boy?"

Turning around, Lorelai glanced for the Asian girl again. "So… That still doesn't explain why she was in the back with you."

His eyebrows rose, not quite sure why Lorelai was so curious about the ordeal. "The boy stood her up. Poor guy, girl's got a temper – and a voice."

With a slightly aghast expression, Lorelai mocked. "Wow. I can totally see it now: Dr. Luke, helping with girl troubles." She laughed at him, suddenly coming to a stop as he glared at her angrily. Her head bowed, sipping the coffee he had so willingly given.

Luke's eyes were normally darting during rush hour. Customers constantly need attention; whether it is of food, drink, or spillage. It was what kept him busy all day, and had been doing so for years. But as his eyes darted from the top of Lorelai's head, to the brunette girl walking into the diner, it was not because of business.

"Just a sec…" He walked away from Lorelai, towards the door. It was not the fact that he moved away the perturbed Lorelai, but the fact that he mentioned it. With customers he just left her, always coming back. But to say that he was moving away; that was something new.

Her head twisted, looking at his figure walking to door, meeting another figure – a woman figure – with a light kiss. Lorelai's eyebrows shout up in amazement.

The woman had brunette hair, tied back roughly with a hair tie. She was of average height – perhaps a little short – and had to get on her tiptoes to reach Luke's mouth with her own. Her jeans were large, and baggy, while her top was three-quarter length, and held a picture of horse, rearing up on its back legs. Lorelai scrutinized.

Luke sat Melissa at an empty table – the last empty table – and walked back to the counter, in front of Lorelia. He averted Lorelai's gaze, grabbing a mug and coffee pot, and moving back to Melissa quickly. Lorelai's mouth was left slightly agape.

He had wanted to sit down with Melissa. It would've been nice, possibly even comfortable, as he was in his natural environment. However, there were several things to consider. The diner was extremely busy, customers waving him down every few minutes. Kirk was sitting at a table in the corner, and Luke caught him winking. And then there was Lorelai, sitting at the counter, obviously curious as to his going abouts.

Sighing, he said a few choice words to Melissa, moving cautiously back to the counter. "Don't. Say. A. Word."

Lorelai looked at Luke, every intention of not making a joke about it. Because joking about it would show that she was nervous, and her hands, wrapped tightly around the coffee mug, were already making a show of that.

"You know," She said, standing up and paying for the coffee. "I really should start getting these to go."

As she walked out of the full diner, Melissa catching glances of what she looked like, Luke frowned. He thought about what the statement really meant, and his frown deepened. She was leaving.

--

It was the second time that week that Lorelai was walking towards Luke's Diner late at night, wrapping her jacket close around her. She wasn't exactly sure why she was going, why she fed Rory an excuse about coffee and Danishes and other untruthful things. But Luke had looked so disappointed when she left, and perhaps something deep inside her thought that they could patch up whatever they were ripping. That perhaps his silence said more than his words.

Once again he was alone, in the process of clearing tables, and wiping counters. This time there was no goofy comment from Lorelai, no deadpan, regretful answer from Luke. The silence was cruel, as it had been last time, but it was unsure whether talk would be better.

The coffee machine was still on, something that both Lorelai and Luke wondered about. It was Luke, oddly enough, who decided that anything was better than silence. "To go?" He said, motioning at the coffee machine.

It hit her hard – the harshness in his voice, the meaning of the question. She sat at the closest table. It was the table Melissa had sat at – perhaps Luke, too, after Lorelai had left.

"Uh… No, I, I think I'm good. Uh, okay. I think I'm okay." She stuttered; it seemed all to often that she was rendered speechless in front of Luke. "So," She started, not quite sure of what she was going to say, but certain that talking was a necessity. "How's Dr. Phil doing in training you?" The right tone for the joke was there, but it wasn't in her eyes. It wasn't in her heart.

He continued to pick up salt- and peppershakers, wiping under them. "He's now moved me up to actual physiological dissertations. Interesting stuff." Lorelai laughed; not because it was funny – it wasn't – but, like her joke, it was necessary. The laugh echoed out, sounding hollow as the silence tried to fight its way back into their presence.

"So," She started again, Luke wondering if it was another joke. "Was that Melissa, today, in the diner? Uh, here?"

It is then that Luke looks at Lorelai, holding a lock of eyes for several seconds, before dropping them. Only after they drop, does he reply. "Yeah."

She pauses briefly, thinking about the brunette hair, the stylish clothes, and the kiss on the cheek. "She seemed nice."

"She is." He didn't look up. He rarely did, anymore, thought Lorelai briefly.

The silence began to run on their heals again. And she hated it. Hated that she couldn't sit there, be quiet, and be _comfortable_. That she had to talk – say anything – to stop the foggy silence drifting down on them, and separating them.

But there it was. The silence, how it kept chasing them and breaking them apart, said much more than any of the words they used trying to keep it away. And she hated it.

Luke continued wiping. He was, in fact, just as uncomfortable as Lorelai, but he could move. He could wipe and wash and clean the diner. So it was when Lorelai racked her brains for something to talk about that she came up with the only thing on her mind: Melissa.

"Did you sleep with her?"

Luke flinched, only slightly, at the question. Yet he continued what he was doing – moving helped – and replied emotionlessly. "We've been through this before." He glanced up at Lorelai soundlessly, only for a moment, to see her immediate reaction.

"Exactly. And last time you didn't answer."

Something inside Luke turned then. He was not content with the moving and the avoidance. Like a match being lit, he slowly and steadily began to heat up – not quite alight, but extremely close. He stopped wiping. "What do you want to know, Lorelai?" He said angrily, Lorelai being extremely taken aback.

"Well, uh, you know," Cursing her stuttering, she tried to continue, "I, well, you, you seem pretty quiet about the whole thing. I mean, you haven't really said anything, uh, about, um, her, and, well, you know…"

"God Lorelai! You've got a lot of nerve, you know?" He pointed an accusing washcloth at her, now standing up to his full height, ashes flickering with fire. "You come in here, demanding about a woman I'm seeing. I never ask about your dates! You always do this! You _always_ do this."

It was a rare occasion that Luke would get angry. Lorelai was scared by it. "Hey, I was just asking –"

"No!" He said loudly, bursting in flames. "You see! You're completely naïve that you're even doing this! What do you want to know about her, Lorelai?" His voice rose, lifting the silence. And suddenly the silence seemed very welcoming. "That she doesn't tell jokes all the time? That she's not very outgoing?" He got louder. "That she's in the filming business? That she's got poor parents, and survives in the big city?" Louder, still, rising in stance.

There was an unspoken phrase, something that Luke was saying as he continued to shout. _She isn't like you._

"That she loves sport," He continued, shouting so the sounds echoed around the diner loudly. "Hates tight cloths, rarely dates? That she isn't _perfect_?!"

It hung in the air, that word. _Perfect_. The silence dripped down on them, nothing to be heard but a sound Stars Hollow folk rarely hear, a sound of leaves rustling from the gazebo. _Perfect_, they thought, _what is perfect? … _Who_ is perfect?_

It clung tightly to their ankles, their wrists, and most of all, their mouths. Silence. Perfection. Nothing.

At one point they recognized each other's breaths, the only other sound. Luke's; heavy and ragged and quick. Lorelai's; softer and sort and racing. Silence. Perfection. Nothing.

"I –" Lorelai stopped before she could start, shuffling around in a pocket for coins. It was curious that she thought she had a coffee mug in front of her; that her mind was still in the norm of most other days. The coins clanked against each other, dropping onto the table with a loud bang.

Halfway to the door, Lorelai stopped. Spontaneously she spoke, softly, barely heard over the coins, still clattering to a stop on the table. "You never really asked." It hung in the air, waiting for judgment. "I didn't think you cared."

She walked away. Away from the short meeting of two old friends, not knowing exactly what was left behind in emotion. But knowing the physical that she was leaving. She was leaving a silence, hanging thick in the air, several coins, still chattering quietly against at the countertop, and one warm, comforting, imaginary coffee mug.


	5. Independency

Spontaneity

**Pairing**: Luke & Lorelai

**Genre**: Romance

**Setting: **Nothing in particular. After Max, after Rachel. Before Nicole, before Alex, no Sherry.

**Summary**: No one would dub Luke spontaneous. No one would dub Lorelai well planned. So why is it Luke who kisses Lorelai in the middle of an argument, and not the other way 'round?

**Note**: _(A)_ Hmmm, it's okay, I guess, but no one seems to know exactly what's wrong with it. Gimme lotsa feed back and I'll edit it more.

_(B)_ Yay! Babette and Patty and town folk. Who doesn't love them?

_(C)_ Next chapter I'm pretty sure we're getting action. I swear it, just working on that one, specific scene in my mind… :D

**Disclaimer**: The usual. I don't own nothin' so don't sue.

Spontaneity

_Chapter 4: Independency_

If there's one thing that Stars Hollow prides itself on being as a whole, it's their teamwork. It shows up in many places, but probably most of all in the grapevine. News spreads like wildfire, and it's because everyone helps that it could happen like that. When Jess left for the last time, only a handful of town's folk saw it happen. Yet it took one step to get to Rory. Two steps to get to Lane. Three to get to everyone in Stars Hollow High. It could continue on like that forever, even if there are quicker paths.

It's like an unspoken agreement that everyone should work as a team to create festivals and dances and rumors. Yet there are rebels. People who decide that the team atmosphere is too hard, or too silly, or too much. Jess hadn't wanted to participate. He hated it; he wouldn't pass on gossip, he wouldn't go to dances. Yet in the wooing of Rory Gilmore, he listened to this gossip, and he went to these dances and somehow he got caught up in it.

Lorelai hated it as well, though for different reasons. She had always been stubbornly independent. Not everyone can run away from home at sixteen and make a life for themselves. She wouldn't take help from anyone, she accepted no pity, and she would like to think that she needs no one.

In a sense it is good, to be able to take care of yourself, to get yourself out of any mess you put yourself into. In another sense it can kill you. If you don't _need_ help, fine; tell everyone you want. But you also don't need television, or a huge house, or a boyfriend. And perhaps that is what Lorelai doesn't see. She can't see past the need into the want, and when want eventually turns back into need, it gets complicated, especially if you didn't see it in the first place.

It is this characteristic that gets Lorelai so upset whenever she fights with Luke. Because when she doesn't go into the diner every second night, or get a large mug of coffee and a Danish on Tuesday, she starts to feel something that she hates. A little tugging in the back of her mind that _hurts_. And it cries out that maybe for once she should see past the needs and the wants and the independence and just be closer to him.

---------------

Babette stared out her window, watching Lorelai walk from her Jeep into her house, sky dark and mood even darker. After the first time it happened – Sunday night – Babette started keeping tabs on Lorelai; where she went at night, who she was with, and why it was that she came home in a silent huff, saying barely more than a word to her daughter.

It was the second time it had happened, that Tuesday night, and had Babette been a little smarter, she would have recognized that two nights is not enough to make a pattern. Perhaps then she wouldn't have known the truth, as Patty reported to her that the last place Lorelai went was Luke's.

"Cinnamon, dear," She addressed the cat, as Morey was already asleep, not up to staking out their neighbor's house, "Luke and Lorelai have had another fight. Terrible, isn't it?" The cat replied with only a long 'meow.' "I know, I know. I hate it too."

Rubbing up against her owner's legs, Cinnamon meowed again, loud and shrill and piercing. "Oh, dear, I bet you're just starved. Come on, come on, we'll get you some tuna…" Her thoughts were split between the process of opening a fresh can of tuna, and just which of the two friends had started the fight.

Had the tuna not been particularly unhelpful, and Cinnamon not exercising her vocal cords so, Babette could have found a little more clarity to the situation at hand. But as it were, the sight of Luke's truck pulling up next to Lorelai's jeep, but simply sitting in the drivers seat, not moving, went unseen. And the sound of the engine dying down, and then roaring up almost immediately as he pulled away without ever leaving the car went unheard.

The next day Babette and Miss Patty stood across the street from the diner, looking inconspicuous as they discussed the fight. "There was shouting."

"Which one?"

"Luke," Miss Patty took another drag of her cigarette, "He was shouting about some girl. Some _other_ girl. Melanie or something. It was terrible." Both looked to the diner, where Luke was serving a family of four. In his rush a plate dropped, not cracking, but the food spilling everywhere. Both sighed at the sight.

They started over to the dance studio, walking slow and deliberately, more worried about not hearing each other than getting there before noon. "I just hate it when they fight. Have you told Casini yet? You know she loves those two."

Miss Patty shook her head, the movement closely followed by blowing two large smoke circles. "Did you catch Lorelai this morning?"

"She must have gotten up at dawn to get to that Inn. Did you catch Rory?"

"She jumped on that bus like no tomorrow. I'm not as young as I was once."

Babette cocked her head to one side, shifting her jaw from side to side in an act of decision-making. "We could…" There was a moment of indecisiveness, as she was about to not suggest the idea, and then she changed her mind at the last second as the words spilled out of her mouth, almost regardless of her mind. "…You know, ask Luke."

"Oh please, last night was the most words I ever heard come out of that mans mouth."

She responded quickly, the accusing tone bringing a slight flush to her cheeks. "Yeah, yeah," she said slowly. "Of course."

Three more smoke circles flew to the air before Miss Patty continued, ignoring her friend's slight embarrassment. "Samson's with Delilah now. They went out to some exotic resort for the weekend…"

--

There was a slight pause at the door of the Inn's kitchen, as Lorelai thought once again about whether talking to Sookie about the fight was a good idea. It was inevitable that she would find out, but the exact details of the fight – the story that only Luke and Lorelai knew about – was possible to be kept secret.

She didn't like the feeling of indecisiveness; she preferred to just walk straight in, decisions and discussions to be made later. To think things over, to _talk_ things over, meant that she would suddenly rely on time, and people, and _outside_ help, to make any decision. And every second she stood at the door, thinking about independence, she cursed the swelling in her stomach that said she could handle it herself. Which is why she moved through the door quicker than necessary, knowing that waiting had never helped.

As soon as she entered the room, Sookie ran up to her, spoon in hand. "Oh! Lorelai, try this." Before any decision could be made, the spoon entered her mouth, and the contents spilled out. The taste filled her mouth, warm and delicious.

"Mmmm." Lorelai's hand went up to her mouth, unconscientiously catching a drip. As the food went down her throat, an aftertaste filled her mouth, only slightly different: not so warm, but equally delicious. "Mmmm."

"It's the chives." Her friend explained excitedly, moving back to the stove at which she was situated before Lorelai entered. "I found the _exact_ right amount, and it's perfect."

"Where's Michel?"

"He's out back." Lorelai glanced at Sookie, as if asking why. "His dog sitter backed out, so he brought Paw-Paw, and, uh, the other one, here. I can never remember the other one's name. It's something about a face…" Sookie paused. "They're getting settled in."

"Right, right." Lorelai replied, absentmindedly, thinking about the fight, and just how often Luke was on her mind. "So, uh, anything happening lately?" She hated avoiding the topic, and it made that swelling in her stomach larger and more uncomfortable.

Sookie's head turned, looking at Lorelai with concern. "You alright, honey? You look a little flushed."

It was true; a pinkish tone had risen to Lorelai's cheek that morning, when she had relived the details of the last night in her mind. At first it was vague, almost as if it was a dream, or a childhood memory, the edges fuzzy and everything discreet. But then, slowly, becoming clearer, until there were parts where she could pick out the small details; position of salt and pepper shakers, unclean mugs on the counter, the placement of Luke's hands as he shouted…

"Um, no, actually." She smiled weakly, her head cocked slightly to the side. "I don't know… You know, Luke went out on a date last Friday night?" Sookie could have answered, with stories of Rory and predictions and Luke, but kept silent as Lorelai continued. "And, God, I'm just so peeved about it. I mean, Rachel; that was different, Rachel had history. This girl, she just walks straight into his life. No one _ever_ walks straight into Luke's life, it's, like, a rule or something."

"Is this a bad time to say that guys walk into your life all the time?"

A smile tugged at the corners of Lorelai's mouth, small and appreciative. "Not really. Good time, even. Maybe." The corners of her mouth dropped again, as she sighed. "We had a fight. Last night."

"I'm sorry."

Her eyes flew to the ceiling, searching. "It's just that I _hate_ fighting, and…" _And it was what we fought about, _she wanted to say, truthful and outright. But that 'and' just hung in the air, neither knowing quite what would become of it.

"Ugh." Her eyes lowered again. "I guess I'll just apologize in a few days, and then… We'll see."

Sookie concentrated on her friend, Lorelai's eyes rising and dropping and looking extremely uncomfortable about the topic she herself had brought up. "Don't worry, Luke'll come around. He always does." Lorelai's eyes moved to her friend, bright and shining, and at first glance they could be considered happy. Sookie knew better. "It can't be that bad, right?"

"Bad things were said."

"Well…" The friend paused, considering her options of reply. "You haven't sworn off coffee, have you?"

--

Her skirt fluttered slightly in the breeze, though more from the pace at which she was walking. A pair of chunky black high heels were clutched in one hand, swinging along with the beat of walk. "And to think," Lorelai said spitefully, more to the shoes than anything else, "I thought they would be more comfortable."

Her eyes skittered around the landscape: gazebo, dance studio, Luke's… She told herself not to look too hard at the sign; it was obviously open. Guttural laughter could be heard even where she walking, and the many animated figures were not subtle at all.

_It's a good sign_, Lorelai forced herself to think, _it can't be that bad if he didn't close it up_.

Yet she still searched the diner hurriedly with her eyes, never wavering her pace. She picked up several familiar figures, sitting down at tables, talking without a care in the world.

And then she saw the female, a brunette, obviously speaking to someone at the counter. The baggy jeans gave it away, as did the three-quarter-length top, and the way she was leaning in toward whoever was behind the counter.

_Good sign?_

--

The market was unusually full for a Thursday night, Lorelai and Rory mulling around the junk food section, causing a long bottleneck of traffic behind them. Rory's basket was full – drinks and chips and savories – while Lorelai's was empty as she stood still, picking out items of much-processed food, before deciding against it and placing it back on the shelf.

Rory glanced nervously at the angry crowd behind them; slowly littering through the one-person gap her mother had left. "Mom, I think they're getting feisty." Somewhere in the crowd a fist was shaking angrily in air, the actual shouting inaudible.

"Honey, did I not raise you right?" She looked incredulously at her only daughter. "Picking out junk food is an _art_. It cannot be rushed." Her gaze returned to the numerous bags of marshmallows and chocolates. "See, I can't get the pink marshmallows, because that'll clash with the water crackers –"

Rory's eyebrows furrowed, "I didn't get water crackers."

"You didn't? Well, that changes everything…" And with that she returned the one bag of marshmallows she _did_ have back to the shelf. "I'll have to start again…"

Half an hour later they found themselves a spot at the back of the amazingly long lines to the registers. Both mother and daughter's eyes scanned the crowd, mostly the folk who were at the front of the line. "No, look Mom, that's Babette, she'll take forever, we should go to 3."

Sighing, they moved to line number 3, still scanning the lines. "This line has…" Lorelai's eyes locked on the back of Luke's head, and moved immediately to the three small boxes in front of him.

On her tiptoes, Rory questioned. "Who? I can't see."

"Uh, Luke."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh."

"Well…" Rory bit into her cheek, thinking. "What's he buying?"

"Um… Three things, I think. Yeah… One, two… Yeah. One looks like Band-Aids. Yeah, definitely Band-Aids. The other might be food. Vegetable stock? Maybe. Not sure… Um, the last one looks like… Oh…" Lorelai had also been on her tiptoes, trying to gain the right line of sight to make out words on the three small boxes, but suddenly she stopped, dropping back to her heels quickly, frowning.

They shuffled along, Luke leaving the head of the line, walking out the door, leaving only four more people in front of the Gilmore girls. "What? What was it?"

"You know what, honey? Don't worry, it was probably just… Don't worry." She was still frowning, and didn't really look her daughter in the eye.

"Mom!"

"I don't know," She side glanced across the room, looking for a distraction. "I didn't really see it, it could have been anything."

"Liar!" Rory started out to make it a shout, but at the last second quieted down so that her mother only heard it. She leered at Lorelai, the basket of food swaying in the process. "Liar, liar, liar, _liar_." She chanted in a whisper, as Lorelai glanced around nervously.

Lorelai brought her hand to Rory's face, giving it a silent push. "Alright, alright. You're scaring me, freakshow."

Rory gave a smug smile, happily moving up one more place in the line.

"Fine. You know that secret stash in the back that Phil stocks – Taylor doesn't know about, and I've been waiting for years for him to find out. You can only check out those items to Phil, and -"

"What? No! Phil isn't a rebel! He's such a softy."

"There is a side to Phil you never knew."

She turned on her heel, grabbing Lorelai's arm as she went. "Come on!" She whined, tugging at the immovable arm, "Show me where it is!"

Clicking her tongue softly against the roof of her mouth, Lorelai spoke words of wisdom as Rory and herself scuffed slowly along, gaining one more spot on the line. "_Leave the line not once you are two people deep_." A hand gestured to the three towns folk already lined up behind, one checking his watch and muttering about television shows.

"Fine," Rory huffed, turning back around and looking at her mouth pointedly. "But don't think you've lost me, I still want to know what Luke bought."

Laying a hand on Rory's shoulder, Lorelai said, "You are your mother's daughter."

"Pfft. Back to the topic, please."

"Phil holds many a secret back there; sugary gum and apple plum and those chips that he stopped stocking when Patty got addicted –"

Rory gasped. "No!"

"- Sad but true." Lorelai continued. "But he also stocks _practical_ things, items that should be sold, but aren't because Taylor is, well, ignorant and likes it that way. Things like… Condoms."

It took a moment to sink in, exactly what Lorelai was implying, but eventually Rory twitched visible, before practically shouting to the entire supermarket that "Luke's buying condoms!"

The whole room went silent, as it were everyone was hoping for a little more information. Rory's gaze shifted nervously around the full area, walking forward a few steps in the line modestly.

"Louder next time, honey. I don't think people four blocks away heard you."


End file.
